All These Lives
by TJmeetsTJ
Summary: /AU/ Unfortunate family circumstances bring six teenagers together. Each one with a past filled with pain and hurt. Soon they start causing trouble for their hometown of Forks, Washington. They are thrown together and have to overcome their past's
1. Bella's POV

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All These Lives

Summary: Unfortunate family circumstances bring six teenagers together. Each one with a past filled with pain and hurt. Soon they start causing trouble for their hometown of Forks, Washington. They are thrown together and have to overcome their past's and stick together.

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Chapter One

**Bella's POV**

Hell. That is where I'm stuck. Not literally, but figuratively speaking, I am in hell. Along with five other people—or rather 'kids' my age. I can't believe my parents made me go to counseling. It's bullshit, utter bullshit, that I'm even here. Cringing, I watch as the shrink stands in front of us. At least everyone looks as pained as I do. I shove my ear buds in my ears to drown out the droning woman in front of us. I kick my legs out in front of me, as I slouch back into the hard plastic, ugly orange chair. I look from one person to the next, noticing certain features about each one.

Like the boy to my left has unruly bronze color hair, and emerald colored eyes. He's quite good-looking, and he looks bored out of his pretty little mind. I almost feel sorry for him, except I'm stuck in the same crappy situation. I tense as he turns and meets my gaze, smiling at me. I feel myself intake a breath, but I don't remember letting it out, which would be because I didn't. I take a couple of deep breaths trying to regulate my unsteady breathing. His smile is more breathtakingly beautiful than his face is. Slightly crooked, but amazing all the same. Flashing a set of teeth whiter than even I've ever seen. I can feel my cheeks flame red, as I hang my head, and turn my attention from the amazing boy beside me.

The boy on my right is the complete opposite of Mr. Perfect beside me. He has shaggy, curly blond hair, with brilliant blue eyes. He wasn't bad looking, but he was nothing in comparison to the bronze-haired beauty beside me. His hands are shoved into his pockets, and he looks rather uncomfortable. His blue eyes dart around the room, before settling on the woman droning on about god only knows what up front. Luckily, his eyes settled in on the woman in the front of the room, so I didn't have to worry about any embarrassment from him catching me gawking at him. I watched as his head turned only slightly toward the beautiful blond girl next to him. A small smile crossed his lips before he shoved his hands, which I could tell were balled up into fists, further into his pockets. Definitely uncomfortable.

The blond beauty next to him, looked a lot like the blond boy. Same facial and lip shape, and the same light color of blue eyes. I could tell they were related, probably brother and sister. She wore a low cut blouse, and a tight pair of jeans, that clung to her hips. She was so beautiful that it hurt my ego to even look at her. She was talking lightly to her 'brother,' not even giving him a chance to say anything in response, before she would say something else. She ran a hand through her thick blond hair, before her eyes darted in my direction. They were the opposite of friendly, and I could feel myself shudder from the death glare she shot me. My eyes quickly adverted from her eyes, to the floor. My cheeks flamed again, and I sighed softly.

I grabbed for my Ipod, and switched songs to something with a heavier beat. Something to help me drown out, Miss talks-a lot at the front who hadn't stopped running her mouth since she came into the small room.

I tilted my head slightly, trying to sneak a glance at the boy to my left without him knowing it. My plan quickly backfired as his emerald eyes were still glued to me, and I felt my cheeks flame yet again. I had never blushed so much at one particular time. I diverted my eyes, and caught a glance of the girl sitting next to him. Her hair was short, really short, and black in color. Her eyes were a lighter shade of green, a prettier shade of green, and from this angle, they looked friendly, unlike, Miss Personality to my right. I watched as she leaned to the side, and whispered to the bronzed beauty beside her, whose eyes, I could feel, were still trained on me.

Next to her was a huge—I couldn't really call him a boy. He was too large in size. Scarily large in size. His hair was short, a buzz cut, and was also black in color. His eyes were a bluish green color, even prettier than the girls. The large band of muscle on his arm, was as big as my head. His arms were folded tightly, almost to an uncomfortable manner, around his chest. His lips were set into what I would call a half frown, half smile. Almost like he was enjoying himself, but he was trying to pretend that he wasn't. He was very good-looking as well, but his shear size scared any thought of that nature from my mind.

I snapped my head around, as I saw the two blonds on my right stand up. Please god, tell me this nightmare is over. I pulled my ear buds from my ears, in just enough time to hear the words that would forever haunt me.

"I want to see the six of you back here same time tomorrow. I think you all need a lot of work to be the young adults that I know you can be. Your parents have all sent you here for a reason. I will make sure that you are all taken care of--" she paused before her eyes trained on me.

This was the first time I took the time to really look at her. She was a short woman, and quite round in size. Her hair was a fiery red color, and was drawn up into a bun. She wore a power suit that clung to her hips in an unflattering type of a way. She wasn't necessarily unattractive, she just was not working with what she had in a way to make herself more appealing. It wasn't until she started speaking again, did I realize that she was directing her words toward me.

"And you, no more Ipod's. No cell phones. Nothing of that sort. In fact, all personal items will be left at the door. You will be paying attention."

I hated her now. Drawing unneeded attention toward me. Now everyone, not just the hateful blond and the bronzed beauty were looking at me, but everyone. I cringed, and wanted to crawl inside myself and disappear.

"Sorry." I muttered, not very loudly, but by the amused crooked smile on his face told me that the object of my dreams had heard me.

"You're all here for the same reason, whether you want to admit it," she paused, looking at the three people to my left, and by the way they huddled together, I would assume they too were related. "Or not." Her eyes now shifted to the beautiful blonds to my right, and my eyes followed and noticed that Miss evil, was staring—or rather glaring at me. Like I had committed a murder right in front of her. I wanted to crawl back inside my shell and never come back out. I hated my life right now. Parents did nothing but ruin their children's lives. That was the case for me. My parents are ruining my life. I'm only seventeen years old, and my life was ruined. Yeah, I know, a little over dramatic, but that's me.

"Your free to go, but like I said, I want to see each and everyone of you here tomorrow. I have your parent's numbers."

I knew that was a threat, and a warning, all at once. I knew that the red-headed patron of my nightmare would indeed call my parents if I was a no-show tomorrow. So I guess this is it. I guess I'm stuck in hell until further notice. Great. Welcome to my life.

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I shifted uncomfortably on my bed, as I eyed the paper in front of me. It would do, but it wouldn't do well. It was my paper for English. A class I usually tried to excel in. A class that I usually did my best work. I loved English, especially since reading was one of my favorite things in the world. Such a great distraction from life. This, however, was not my best work. I didn't even read the book, didn't have the want to read the book. So, you might ask, how did I write a paper on a book I didn't even read? Well that's easy. That is why there are cliff notes. I smiled softly to myself, before I realized that I've never once had to use cliff notes to write a paper. I've never even read cliff notes. Never had a need to until now.

Sighing and giving up on the paper for now, I sit my notebook aside, and lay down on my stomach, before shoving my ear buds back into my ears. I shuffled through my Ipod for a minute until I found my favorite song, and set it on repeat. I closed my eyes, trying to envision the singer singing words that really spoke to my soul. Slowly I swayed my head in time with the slow beat, as a smile crossed my lips. At a time like this, in ones life, music is the best gift given. It can bring a smile to ones lips, or tears to another's eyes. I love music so much, especially if it's beautifully written, and can speak to me in a way that no one else understands.

All my friends at school think I've lost my mind, and what I've had to deal with in recent months---or years, I wouldn't doubt that fact. I, haven't, however, lost my mind. I am quite sane, despite popular opinions. No one understands why I listen to the music I listen to. Music that most people can't find using typical downloading sites. Music that is very difficult to find, and even more difficult to understand. I never was one for the popular thing. The popular music. When boy bands were in, I was jamming out to hard rock, and heavy metal. Now that soft rock and pop are in, I'm listening to even softer, underground rock that no one else would give the time of day.

"Bella."

I hear my dad call from the stairs, I know what he's going to say. Sighing, I turn off my Ipod before standing from my bed. I stretch slowly for a moment, feeling the stiffness from sitting cross-legged on the bed for far too long. I glide—or well stumble toward the door, and open it.

"What dad?"

"It's time for bed, lights out."

Oh perfect, I have an inside curfew. How sad. I grimace at his words, trying to bite back the sarcasm that wanted to flow out.

"Yeah sure."

I sighed before shutting my door, and turning off the light. It was going to be a long week—or months, however long my parents saw fit to torture me.


	2. Alice's POV

Chapter Two

**Alice's POV**

Today was the first day of the group counselling session for me and other kids like me. We all found ourselves in the same situation; pulled between our parents in a bitter divorce. I personally didn't understand the need for all this. What our parents chose to do was their own business. They should be the ones in therapy. I hated them even more for insisting I attend this group. What the hell did they know about what was best for me? Especially my mom. Ugh, I didn't even wanna think about her. I wish she would just disappear. After all it was the one thing she was good at.

I glanced around the room. Everyone looked pretty much the same. Annoyed and bored out of their mind. The strange girl two seats to my right even had an Ipod. Damn, I should've thought of that. She keeps staring at Edward. Even stranger was the fact that he kept staring at her as well.

Edward and I had known each other for years. One of the things that united us was our troubled home lives. Although we both made a pact to never bring any of that up in group. I was fortunate to have him by my side. I don't think I could make it through these insane counselling sessions otherwise. We shared a bond that could and would never be broken. There was a time when I was in love with him. Or I thought I was at least. We tried dating but quickly realized that we were better off as just friends. And that's how we stayed. Best friends. I turned to him now unable to stand it any longer.

"Why are you staring at her?" I whispered not wanting to draw the attention of the 'therapist'. He didn't answer me. Just kept gazing at this strange girl. I didn't recognize her which was odd in a city this small. She must be new. I looked at her more closely now. She had hair that fell just below her shoulders. It wasn't wavy but not exactly curly either. She was really quite pretty. I wasn't surprised Edward seemed to be attracted to her. He loved brunettes. I watched as she locked eyes with Rosalie. There was no mistaking the look she shot back. Such a bitch. Some things never change. I didn't really know what was up with her and her strange brother. I think his name is Jasper. He seemed quiet and unsure. Definitely didn't want to be here. His head turned suddenly and we locked eyes. I froze, unable to move or even breathe. He was beautiful. Not like Edward though. Edward was gorgeous. But this guy, Jasper, I felt like I was staring into his soul. He had very sad eyes. His face was twisted in what appeared to be pain, though I didn't think it was physical. I kept expecting him to look away but he didn't. I felt butterflies in my stomach. I'd never felt like this before. It became too much and I finally averted my eyes. Suddenly I was very thankful for these stupid sessions. I smiled to myself. Maybe there was some perks after all.

I looked at Emmett now. He was almost smiling, like he was actually enjoying this session. I knew better though. He was just checking out Rosalie. She wasn't ugly by any means but I still shook my head in disgust. Only Emmett would be attracted to such a hateful creature. Though he and Edward were cousins I didn't see any resemblance. From their size, to their hair color and even their personalities. The only thing they seemed to share was their last names.

I turned to Edward again. He seemed to be sharing a moment with this strange girl.

"Are you going to stare at her the whole time?" I was surprised by the irritation in my voice. Maybe I wasn't completely over him yet. I shook my head. There was nothing there between us. Just friends. Truthfully that is how I wanted it. Besides this Jasper kid had me interested. I glanced at him again. He seemed to be getting more irritated as time went on. I couldn't really blame him. None of us wanted to be here. Except maybe Emmett. I rolled my eyes. I was surprised he wasn't drooling. He seemed to chase after girls he knew he couldn't have. Blind to the ones who actually did like him. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rosalie and Jasper stand up. I struggled to bring myself back to the therapist. Not an easy task when my eyes betrayed me, keeping locked on Jasper. I finally broke my gaze and listened to hear what the therapist was saying. She had now turned her attention to the strange girl who seemed to be infatuated with Edward.

"And you, no more Ipod's. No cell phones. Nothing of that sort. In fact, all personal items will be left at the door. You will be paying attention."

What a bitch. There goes my plan for next session. I wanted to blame the girl but she looked mortified and I felt a little sorry for her. It wasn't really her fault anyway. If I had been the one to think of bringing an Ipod I'd be getting chewed out right now. I saw Edward flash her one of his smiles. It was an amused smile but sincere. It was hard not to love Edward. I could totally understand this girls obsession. I realized I had stopped paying attention to the therapist again when everyone slowly started filing out of the room. I grabbed my backpack and ran to catch up with Edward.

"Hey wait up!" I called only slightly out of breath. He paused for a moment till I was by his side.

"Sorry I was a little...distracted." I followed Edwards gaze. He watched as the girl walked away quickly with her eyes glued to the floor. I wish I knew her name. It was a little awkward to keep referring to her as "the strange girl."

"Yeah what was up with that back there? You couldn't take your eyes off each other." I jabbed him in the side.

"Nothing. She's just so mysterious. And I found it amusing that she brought an Ipod with her. Kinda wish I had thought of that." He grinned at me as he held the door open. We were finally outside away from the horrible fluorescent lights and worse decor. I took a deep breath in.

"Ah, fresh air!" It was a little chilly out though and I shivered.

"It's a beautiful day isn't it?" Edward didn't seem bothered by the cold in the slightest. For some strange reason I would never understand he actually liked living in Forks.

"I guess. At least its not raining. In this city I suppose that constitutes as a beautiful day." We continued walking towards his house. It wasn't too far from the therapist's office and I knew it wasn't safe for me to be home this time of day. We walked the rest of the way in silence. Both of us distracted, consumed by our thoughts. Before I knew it he was unlocking his door.

"Well we survived the first session." Edward flopped on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. I sat down, a little more gracefully, next to him.

"I don't know if survived is the word I'd use but we're no worse than before anyway." I suppressed a yawn. Edward didn't miss anything though.

"Late night huh?" His face scrunched up in concern. I really didn't want to talk about it though.

"Yeah, you know how it is. I'll survive though. I've been surviving for the past 17 years." I laughed a bitter laugh.

"You don't have to pretend around me Alice. It's ok to break down once in awhile." He wrapped his left arm around me in an awkward hug.

"I'm starving. Would your dad mind if I had a little snack?" I wanted to change the subject and I was always hungry. There was a reason I was as tiny as I was. It seemed like the perfect excuse and I knew Edward wouldn't refuse me.

"Of course not Alice. You're welcome here anytime, you know that." He got up off the couch and I tried to get up to follow him but he pushed me back down gently.

"You wait here. I'll get the snacks. Actually why don't you pick out a movie? I'm not up to homework tonight." I watched him walk away. I'd be so lost without him. He was my safe harbor. I knew I could always go to him no matter how bad things were. His dad was supportive too. But being a doctor he was hardly ever home. I suspected that's one of the things that led to his parents divorce. I searched through their movies. We needed something to take our minds off our current situations. Maybe something gory. Underworld Evolution. That'll work. I popped in the DVD and Edward came back with sandwiches. Some snack.

"Oh nice! This is exactly what we need!" Edward grinned. I guess he approved of my movie choice. No surprise there. We sat engrossed in fighting and just enough gore to be completely absolved and worry free. It was in these moments I felt a little hope. Hope that maybe someday things just might be ok. Then it was back to reality. I always dreaded when the time to go home came, always too fast. I hesitated at the door. There was no telling what I'd be coming home to. I shuddered at the thought of some things I'd seen in the past.

"Hey call me if things are...Just call me. I can be there in 5 minutes." Edward stared into my eyes. Words weren't always needed. We could read other so well by now. I just shook my head and wiped away a single tear from my cheek. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and started on the long walk home. Each step I got closer and closer to my messed up home life. My dad was fighting for custody. But my mom had a way of manipulating people and appearing presentable when she needed to.

It took me 15 minutes to get home. I had taken my time. The living room light was on and I could see shadows of people through the curtain but I couldn't make out what was going on. My gut said it was something bad. I closed my eyes to prepare myself but when I opened the front door...Nothing could've prepared me for what I saw. I froze, wide eyed. I snapped out of it quickly though and slammed the door. I turned and ran as fast as I could back to Edwards house, fighting tears the whole way.


	3. Rosalie's POV

Chapter Three

**Rosalie's POV**

Counseling, ha! One of my dad's ideas of torture. If only he would realize that anytime away from that house, and from him, is heaven. So I will bask in this gift that has been bestowed upon me. I wished that my mom was here. She wouldn't insist on this waste of an afternoon. No, she would have insisted on a shopping trip. One far away, that would last a full day. If I were lucky, it would last so long we'd have to stay up there, prolong the inevitable. She's gone though. Of course she is, why else would me and my brother be stuck in a place that is probably considered hell to most. To me though, it's a safe haven. It's a safe place.

I notice quickly that me and Jasper are no longer the only ones in the room. I notice the extremely handsome and extremely large man in front of me. I know that he looks familiar, but I can't seem to place his name. I smile at him, giving him a little wink, and watch as he tries to fight off a smile. His short black hair glistens in the florescent lighting, and his blue-green eyes are sparkling. I can't keep the smile from my lips as our eyes hold each other's gaze. After a few moments though, I break the gaze to see who else was stuck in counseling with us.

The girl to his right I know right off the bat. To say that I was nice to her would be stretching it. I don't know why, but I just don't like her. I try not to glare at her however, because she seems to know the hot man to her right. Alice meets my gaze for a moment, and I turn my head, no longer interested.

I know, before looking, who is sitting beside her. Edward Cullen. No introduction needed there. He was hotter than I don't know what. Apparently though, I wasn't good enough for him. He had turned me down numerous times—wait! That's why I don't like Alice. Because she did date him. I never did understand why he would date Alice Brandon, but not me. I see that his eyes are fixated on someone beside him.

This draws in my interest so I look in the same direction and see this oddly strange girl staring at me. I wanted to shout for her to take a picture, but I didn't think it would look good for me to be so abrupt on our first meeting. I glare at her, making sure that my eyes hold the true bitchiness inside, and watch as she cowers inside herself. I wanted to smile, knowing I had won that battle, but I didn't.

I see Jasper twitching in his seat, and know that he's uncomfortable. It's not right that he has to be stuck here. Jasper isn't good with crowds—or people in general. School is like his own personal hell. It's a wonder he's made it this far.

"Calm down Jazz," I say, my voice calm and smooth.

I see immediately though, that it didn't work, as he shoves his fist further into his pockets. His palms will be bloody by the time that this "meeting" is over. Poor boy digs his nails into his palms when he's nervous. Never really understood what being in pain would fix when your nervous, but he's done it since he was a little boy.

"Just to let you know. That new girl—I can't remember her name, and Alice Brandon are totally checking you out. Although that new girl—she is checking you out in more of a pity way. Too bad to, she's kinda hot—well hotter than Alice," I shudder at her name.

I know my reasons aren't that great for not liking her, but I'm one of those once you don't like them, you never do, type of people. I know no matter what happens, I will never like Alice Brandon.

"It's ending," Jasper whispers into my ear, as we both stand at the same time.

It's part of being a twin, you do things at the same time. You know what the other is thinking, or how their feeling without having to ask. It's just a twin thing, and no one really understands the bond that me and Jasper have. I remember that I'm supposed to be listening to the therapist talk, so I turn my attention toward the front, and for the first time really look at her. It scares me, how completely unattractive she is. I thought therapists are supposed to be like really super attractive. Trust me, if more of them looked like her, then there wouldn't be so much trouble with men and women sleeping with their therapist.

"And you, no more Ipod's. No cell phones. Nothing of that sort. In fact, all personal items will be left at the door. You will be paying attention."

I grin as I see the new girl bow her head, her cheeks a bright red color. I wish I could have said or done something to make her that embarrassed. I drown out the droning therapist, unable to handle her squeaky sounding voice, as I could feel a migraine coming on. It happened whenever I knew I had to go home. I wish I had something—anything at all to do. Anything that could delay me from going home. I feel Jasper squeeze my hand in reassurance. He knows how much I hate going home, and he doesn't blame me. He asked me one time, why I didn't just runaway. Why I just didn't come home one night. It's not like our sorry excuse of a father would care one way or the other.

I take a deep breath, as me and Jasper follow out Edward and his gal-pal Alice out the door. We head in opposite directions, which is a good thing, because with how I'm feeling right now—I might just have to kick her ass.

Unfortunately for me, we arrive home quickly, considering we only live three blocks from the therapist's office. Jasper opens the door and walks in. Heading quickly, he's in his room, before I can even muster up the courage to walk in. I know that he's home—his car is in the driveway. Maybe I'll get lucky—maybe he'll be in a good mood. I walk in, and immediately regret it.

"Damn it, you bitch! Get your fat ugly ass in here now!"

Great, I was in for a long—long night.


	4. Emmett's POV

Chapter Four

**Emmett's POV**

Only 10 minutes left till I can get out of this stupid place. I haven't heard a word said during this little meeting. Hell I don't even know why I'm here. My father just dropped me off and said he'd be back in an hour. Some father....At least there's some decent girls in here. Alice isn't too bad but she's off limits. My cousin Eddie didn't exactly like the idea of us getting together. And by the way he's looking at the new girl, I'd say she's off limits too. But the blond chick, now she's a looker. She must've felt me looking at her cause her head turned in my direction again. I gave her a little wink. She had the most beautiful smile. I definitely had to get to know her better.

I glanced over at Eddie again and he was still staring at that damn girl. She was cute, I'll admit, but it was a little creepy. Across the room the blonde chick and the dude next to her were starting to get up to leave. The penguin at the front of the room is yelling at the girl Eddie seems to be so fond off. I just rolled my eyes. It was time to bounce.

Unfortunately my father was waiting out front just like he said he'd be. It was going to be a long ride home. I could already hear the contempt in his voice. What would it be this time?

"Hey dad." I got in the car and put my seat belt on.

"What took you so long? You were suppose to be out of there 5 minutes ago." Yep. Just like I thought.

"It ran over. I can't help that."

"Drop the attitude son." His voice was firm and powerful. It pissed me off to no end but I knew I couldn't win.

We rode in silence. The drive was only 15 minutes but it was the longest 15 minutes of my life. I wished desperately for my ipod.

The evening passed by without much excitement. Everyone was quiet at the dinner table as usual. The look on my mom's face though told me she had something on her mind. I just prayed I could get back to my room before she was able to let it all out. I decided I was done eating and quickly cleared my plate. I wasn't quick enough though.

"Emmett." My mom called with her snooty voice. Always sounding like she was better than everyone.

"Yes, mother."

"Your school called today." Oh crap.

"Apparently you've been late to class 5 times in the past two weeks." I risked a glance at my mom and suddenly the expression "if looks could kill" took on a whole new meaning.

"Yeah about that. Look I just lost track of time. Its no big deal. It wont happen again." I was ready to bolt. I looked at the stairs out of the corner of my eye. Only 10 feet away. I took a small step in that direction.

"That's always your excuse. _'It wont happen again.'_ And yet it does. Time and time again. You're always screwing up Emmett. We don't know what to do with you anymore. You've already driven us to a divorce for god sake. You know if Johnny were still alive..."

"Enough already! You're always comparing me to him. But I'm not Johnny! I'll never be Johnny! I'm sorry I'm not the perfect replacement you were hoping for!" With that I took the final steps and bounded up the stairs. I was so pissed I slammed my door and locked it. It was never ending. I would never be good enough. Johnny was the perfect one. I could never follow in his footsteps. I turned around and punched a hole in the wall. My hand hurt like hell but it felt great. I knew I would be left alone now.

I threw my book bag across the room. I hadn't done homework all year, I wasn't about to start now. The night wouldn't pass quickly enough. As much as I hated school it was the only place I could be myself. It was my refuge. How sad was that!

The next morning I lingered by my locker. I overheard someone call that blond chick from the meeting across the hall. I learned her name was Rosalie. It fit her. The warning bell rang and I turned back to get my books. I was in no hurry. No doubt I would be late again. I took off my jacket and threw it in the locker. I wouldn't be going outside anytime soon. The final bell rang signalling anyone not in class by now would have to report to the office. I couldn't help the grin that crossed my face. All I could see was the disapproving look my mom would have for me when I got home. But it was worth it. I took every opportunity I could to piss off my parents. I whistled as I headed to the office to get my tardy slip.


	5. Jasper's POV

Chapter Five

Jasper's POV

As I twitched nervously in my chair, I let my eyes graze quickly across the crowd. I didn't pay much attention to anyone. The girl beside me was pretty, but the fact that she kept staring at me kind of creeped me out. Her dark brown hair fell just below her shoulders, and her chocolate brown eyes made for a more beautiful look than any anything else. I tried to tune out Rose's random rumblings. It was our daily thing. She'd talk about anything and nothing that I really cared about, and I just basically tuned her out. Over the years I had become a pro at tuning out things that I didn't want to hear.

I noticed that Edward Cullen, the man of my sisters dreams was sitting beside the weird staring girl. Alice Brandon was sitting beside him, and while my sister hated her guts, I found something endearing about her. She was stunningly beautiful, with the most gorgeous blue eyes. I felt like I could see straight to her soul if I tried hard enough. I smiled softly at her, before I noticed the brooding, hulking man sitting beside her. Immediately knew who he was looking at, and wished like hell that he wasn't. Unfortunately for him and my sister both—he was staring at her. I look back at Rose, who I realized had stopped chattering in my ear, and see her staring back at him, smiling at him. Damn! She knew better than this. If dad found out—I stopped myself there, shaking my head back and forth.

Sick of sitting, and noticing that little-miss-talks-a lot up front was winding down to a close. I stood up, stretching my long legs out, trying to get the stiffness out. I need my legs later, this I knew. I tuned out the lecture on what sounded like not bringing cells or i-pods. I heard Rose sigh, and I knew why. I didn't want to go home either, but we both knew that it would be worse if we stayed out longer.

We all start to file out of the tiny office. Me and Rose heading toward our house. I saw her tense up, getting herself ready for what waited at home. I put my arm securely around her shoulders as we got closer and closer to our house. Too bad it was only three blocks away. All too quickly we were walking up the pathway to our front door. I sighed before I opened the front door. I flashed and apologic look back to Rose who completely missed it, before I all but ran up to my door, slamming it behind me.

I flung myself down onto my bed, pulling my headphones over my ears. I could hear the screaming the background of my music. I cringed, before turning up the volume. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to picture our life, if we didn't have a father like we did. If we had a good father. One that treated us with love and respect—the way a father is supposed to. All to quickly I feel the walls vibrate and feel the bile rise into my throat. I know what's happening, but I can't do a damn thing to stop it. My eyes stop on a picture of my mom, my sister and me all at the beach. I can feel my entire body start to twitch as the painful memory of her leaving resurfaced. I picked the picture up and threw it and watched as it smashed against the far wall. I just wanted her to crawl into a hole and die.

That might be harsh, and she might be my mother, but I couldn't give a damn. She knew what was happening. She too sat by and watched it happen, day in and day out. Although he did it to her too on occasion. Did she take us with her when she left though? No! Why? Because her new boyfriend didn't want any 'teenage troublemakers' in his house. Screw the both of them. We don't need her anyway. I would save my sister, even if it was the last thing I did. I refused to let that bastard hurt her anymore.

I heard the footsteps on the stairs and I clamped my eyes shut tight, praying it wasn't my dad. Praying that I'd make it through another night with him torturing me.

"Jazz please," I heard Rose screaming as the song on my I-pod switched.

I all but jumped from my bed, and unlocked the door. Opening it, I took in her apparence, and felt the queasiness come back in a larger scale. I felt like I could literally puke right then and there. She shoved my back, and slammed the door shut and locked my numerous locks on my door. He'd break through, he usually did, if he wasn't passed out yet.

"I can't—he did this?" I asked her, as tears fell from my eyes.

"Yeah--" she paused, her voice breaking as tears streamed from her face. "I fought back."

With that she collapsed into my arms, and sobbed into my chest. This was usually what happened, on a daily basis. We didn't have separate rooms, not anymore—we shared one room. It was safer that way. At least this way I can make sure she's as safe as she'll be. I would save her from him, even if it's the last thing I ever do.


End file.
